Round-about Renegades

The Obama stimulus money is at work in our community. It is being used to put in a series of round-abouts, so there are construction workers at every intersection directing traffic. I have gotten to where I pass them often enough to recognize them and wave, but that is obviously not the case with everyone. The signs are 2-sided with “stop” on one side and “slow” on the other. Recently I observed two cars either unknowingly or perhaps on purpose ignore the stop sign of the construction worker. (They must have been from Texas, because Texans get blamed for everything and since I claim that citizenship, I can poke fun at them.) The worker was clearly upset because of the unlawful behavior of the drivers, so in order to try and restore some semblance of dignity to her job, as I obediently followed her instructions, I rolled down the window of my car and said, “Thank you for doing a difficult job.” It seemed to make her day as she smiled back at me and waved.

Of course I began thinking about what God wanted to teach me about the situation. It became clear that God is like the construction worker who wants to give us instructions that are meant to protect us and keep us safe, and we are like the disobedient drivers who think we know best. God does not give us commands to be mean, but to help us know what His will is for our lives and to keep us on the right path. I know that often times I pay no attention to what God wants me to do and sometimes when I make my own choices things turn out all right, but in the end, I still suffer because I did not honor the desires of my Father.

Lord, help me to put aside my desires and follow your commands.

Joshua 22:5 But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you: to love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to obey his commands, to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and all your soul.